Improved sweeping-machine



UNITED STATES .PATENT Genion- Ivns w. MCGAFEEY, on CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 91, 145. dated J une 8, 1869.

.To all lzia/tom it may concern:

Beit known that I, Ivns W. MCGAFFEY, of

The accumulation of dust and dirt/in dwelling-houses is a source of great annoyance to all good housekeepers, a large portion of the dust being so light that the ordinary process of sweeping sends it dying into the ain-so that it is ditiicult to control or expel it from the room. The use ot' a broom or brush on carv pets is objectionable, for it wears 0E the' lint 'and ber in tine particles, and creates a cloudy dust, while the heavier particles are brushed 'down into the carpet.

To obviate these didiculties-is the object of my invention, the nature of which consists in the employment of a. strongcurrent of air, produced by mechanism, and so controlled as to take up the dust and dirt, and carry the fine particles into a porous air-chamber, so' con- .'structed as to allow the air to escape, while the dust is retained.

The construction of the severalparts and the mode of operation I will proceed to describe with reference to thedrawings.

A' represents a rotary fan-case. of ordinary constructiorwith a 'fan, \V, mounted on a lvertical shaft, which is fixed in the lfan-onse by suitable bearings, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to allow it to revolve freely upon its axis.. A

handle, M M, is attached tothe fan-case, ot`

suitable length to allow the operator to stand or move in an' erect .position while using the machine. A .grooved'l wheel or pulley, It, is fixed ou the handle,.near the end, convenient to the hand of the operator, provided with a handle, O, on one side, for ,turning the same. From this handwheel motion is communicated'to the fan by the use of a belt or cord,

Il, connecting it with a' small pulley, a, on the end of the fan-shaft.

'Ihe air to supply the fan-blast is admit-ted at the axis throughan air passage or conductor,;B, of peculiar construction, which is 'shown in Fig. 2 Vextended forward, widening ont at its front and tapered down, so as to re- .eeivethe air in a) thin, broad sheet.

The front portion of the 'air-conductor intended to rest upon the door or carpet when innse, in the posit-ion shown in the drawings, this front portion being attached. to the rear y portion by ahinge-joint, e, which allows it to retain its proper position, while thehandle may be carried at any desired angle. The under side of the front hinged portion is formed likea drip-pamas shown in Fig. 2, for retaining rcarrying the heavy particles of dirt, its

it comes'nearthe floor or carpet, leaving only sutlicient space between to allow small particles of dust and dirt to pass under it, and so constructed that the current of air is received at the extreme front, and. compelled to move a short distance parallel with the surface which is being swept. The contraction ot' the airf passage at this point concentrates the volume of air, which is moved by the action of the fan, thereby causing it to move with greater rapidity and force. In the rear of the front, and. over the catch-pan, the air-passage is enlarged, so as to weaken the current of air, and thereby cause the heavy particles to be separated from the light dust and deposited in the catch-pan. The rear portion of thecatch-pan is connected with the under side of the air-conductor 1?l by a semicircular joint., V, so that when it is turned up, as shown by dotted lines X, Fig. 2, it is disconnected and an opening formed. for discharging ,the accumulated1 dirt. The rear ot' the jointed portion C, when in use, is

supported on'rollers D, while its front'portion slides upon the surface.

lTlle blast from the fan is discharged 'into an air-chamber, J, which is constructed `of material sufficiently porous to `allo the air to Vgradually pass through, while the dust and dirt are retained.

This air-chnlber may be constructed in a variety of forms, and of different kinds of n1aferial, according to fancy or circumstances.

' For ordinary purposes I use :t bag or sack, made of tine and firm cotton cloth, with an elastic baud or cord lixe'din a hein around-its mouth, which is drawn .closely over the discharge-opening ofthe fan, so as to receive` the 'blast'. Its opposite end is -suspended -to aV cross-bar, K, oil-the handle.

To. use this machine, the opertor grasps the handle I with one hand and turns the wheel R briskly 4with' the other, and moves forward over the floor or carpet to be swept, with the inachine inV the position shown in the drawings. 4

.ar 'an ged to operate as and for thepnrposc sct forth.

3. The combina-tion of a fain for drawing or sucking up the'dirt by a current of nir audit porous receptacle,\vhich serves to retain the particlesl of dirt while permitting the' air to escape; 'l

IVEs W. MCGAFFEY.

. Witnesses:

W. M. HOWLAND, C. C. CLARKE. 

